I am a generalist who works with individual adults.  I do not work with adolescents or children, and I do not work with couples and families.  Minors should work with therapists who have specialized in child and adolescent psychology.  Similarly, couples and families should seek out therapists who have chosen specific training in this area.

At the present time, I am a member of PSYPACT. My PSYPACT Authority to Practice Interjurisdictional Telepsychology (APIT) number is 14833. In addition to residents of Ohio, I am also able to see residents of other PSYPACT member states. U.S. states and jurisdictions that are NOT part of PSYPACT include: Alaska, California, Guam, Hawaii, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Montana, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

In fact, I would highly encourage you to talk to your family and your friends! For all mental health problems, professionals know that connecting with your social support network is one of the healthiest and most therapeutic things that you can do.

However, sometimes clients do not feel safe or comfortable disclosing their personal details to the people closest to them. They might be embarrassed, or fear that they will burden their loved ones, or fear that they will be criticized, belittled, or discredited. Friends and families can also be the primary source of some clients’ distress.

As therapist, I have the advantage of objectivity and a great deal of education and knowledge of the psychological sciences. I might have some ideas about what is happening to you that the average person would not comprehend right away. I also might offer some insights or skills to help you cope that go beyond the advice that a friend or family member could offer.

I can offer you a private conversational space where you can express and organize thoughts and emotions that might be confusing to you. I am motivated to offer you support as you seek to heal, rather than to judge you. Also, my objectivity as a Psychologist permits me to challenge you in ways that friends and family might not; they might worry about upsetting you or offending you. In order for you break old habits, I will help you to try new things that you might find unpleasant or difficult. While I consider myself to be friendly, my role is not to be your friend. I offer the opportunity to be one of your healers. Ultimately, my job is to facilitate the work you will do to heal yourself.

As a mental health professional, I am obligated to protect your privacy at all times.  All of the documents that I keep for you are held in a secure and encrypted, electronic filing system.  This system also permits you to communicate with a high degree of privacy when we are not in session.  I will not disclose any information about you or about our counseling visits, without your authorization to do so.  Because I do not work with minors, I am not obligated to disclose any information to your parents or other family members.  If you use insurance to pay for service, I will share only minimal details about your therapy to confirm your insurance billing. I also will not knowingly disclose any of your personal identifying information to any third party for any purpose.  Even if you offer to write an endorsement for me to publish on this website, I will still require your formal consent.

In some circumstances, the law requires that I break confidentiality.  These circumstances are rare, and they are outlined in the Notice of Privacy Policies, which you can open by clicking on the button below.  Once you begin receiving services, you will be asked to complete some additional forms that detail your rights and responsibilities as my client.

As a Psychologist, I am not licensed to prescribe medication or other medical interventions. Only a medical professional like a Psychiatrist can do this. Medication can be helpful for some people, who might regain the emotional balance to benefit from counseling. In rare cases medication might be necessary for a long time. However, in the majority of cases, medication relieves symptoms only. It does not offer a permanent cure. Research has shown that as a treatment, only psychotherapy has the ability to bring about long-term change, enduring coping skills, and emotional resilience.

I am comfortable conducting both short- and longterm therapy. As such, the number of sessions you receive will depend on many factors. These include the nature, intensity, and complexity of your presenting concerns, as well as whether you prefer a targeted approach or an exploratory approach. You might prefer a structured counseling experience to help you gain some coping skills, or you might prefer an open-ended process to gain some insight. You might also decide to switch approaches partway through. Some clients benefit in as few as three sessions, while others might benefit from ongoing treatment for several years. We can always negotiate the number of sessions, and we can end when you believe that you have sufficiently healed.

If you are using insurance to pay for services, some insurance companies might choose to restrict the number or frequency of allowable sessions per year. Please make sure to research this issue in advance with your own insurance company.

• Aetna

• United Healthcare

• Oscar Health

• Oxford

• Carelon Behavioral Health

• Quest Behavioral Health

• Anthem EAP - Bank of America

I am otherwise an out-of-network provider. My clients pay for sessions up front. As requested, I can provide a "superbill." This is an invoice that clients can submit to their insurers for reimbursement. Please see more information about my rates using this link.

Unless your health insurance company is one of those listed, Fresh Air Psychological Services bills you directly at the time services are rendered, a practice called "private pay." If seeking to use insurance benefits, please check with your insurer about out-of-network reimbursement eligibility before scheduling an appointment. I do accept checks, but this payment method is insecure. Credit and debit cards are highly preferred. My clients have the convenience of setting up electronic payments when they log into their appropriate client portal profile.

The biggest advantage of private pay is that an insurance company is not involved.  An insurer therefore cannot dictate whom you can see, how many sessions you are allowed, how frequently you can meet, and which diagnoses can be reimbursed.  In fact, therapists who conduct private pay do not have to diagnose you at all, if a diagnosis is not necessary to organize your treatment.  Insurance companies will require a diagnosis and specific treatment goals to be documented.  This additional documentation demands time and attention by your therapist that could otherwise be offered to you.

Private pay is also private, meaning that your sessions are discreet and no records will be shared with your insurance company. Your insurer will not know that you were receiving mental health care. Your therapist does not have to report anything about you or your treatment, within the bounds of the law. In most cases, such discretion means that your healthcare insurance premiums and life insurance policies won't have to go up in price.

Yes, if you would still prefer some assistance with payment for counseling, Fresh Air Psychological Services can send you a superbill, which is essentially a receipt for your services. You can submit the superbill to your insurance company for partial reimbursement, after you have paid for the full cost of your services. A superbill includes all of the information that the insurance company needs to process your reimbursement. Keep in mind that the insurance company can use its own rules governing payouts; not every superbill might receive full reimbursement, depending on the insurance company's calculations. Also keep in mind that, with a superbill, you can continue to see the same out-of-network provider, even if you change insurance companies.

Once you have become established as an ongoing client, I ask that you cancel at least 24 hours in advance in order to avoid being charged the full fee for a missed appointment. If you encounter technological problems, you can cancel through either e-mail or telephone, as well.

Yes, we can meet in person. If you are concerned about COVID-19 or another infectious illness, please be prepared with your own personal health equipment.

Please see my contact information for my practice location. I am located on the third floor of the Heights Medical Building. There is an elevator, as well as parking in the back.

I also use HIPAA-compliant (secure and encrypted) Zoom for connecting during client sessions via telehealth. To learn more about the Zoom app, how to get it, and how to set it up, click below.

Most evening and weekend therapy sessions take place over telehealth from my home office, unless otherwise agreed upon. However, I can also conduct daytime telehealth sessions from my practice location.

Fresh Air Psychological Services is my small, exclusive private practice. I see clients during weekday business hours, during weekday evenings, and on weekends. If you are seeking a discreet provider who can meet outside of regular business hours, I might be the right fit for you!

If you are interested in services and you are just now looking over my website, you are probably not yet in my system. You should plan first to schedule a free 15-minute consultation; we can speak on the phone to discuss your concerns, answer your questions, and decide if this is the right fit for you. After this, you and I would schedule your first session and set you up in my records system. Once we begin meeting regularly, we will schedule sessions at the end of each meeting. If preferred, we can set up a regular schedule using the same day of the week and/or the same time of day.